Originally Posted by
LTN Phobia
Probably because the OP is not carrying evidence of his permanent residency either, because he left his residence card at home.
Expired ID card + lack of Residence Card (without a really good reason like theft that has been reported to the police and with documentary evidence of having done so) would probably not go down well at the UK border.
I am not surprised that BA is not allowing the OP to travel given the lack of suitable travel documents.
This has nothing to do with BA. It's all to do with Home Office issuing the reference number for the pax to travel. BA won't let the pax board without Home Office authorisation. However the Home Office should provide the reference when presented with the situation by the airline and some minimal evidence the pax in question is who he portrays to be. They can easily check if the pax in question is a permanent resident, and, in fact, permanent residency is not required to be issued with permission to return home as long as the person normally resides in the UK.